Attorney's Office

Teresa M. Kenny, Esq. Town Attorney

Deputy Town Attorneys:  

• John S. Edwards, Esq., First Deputy Town Attorney.      
• Dennis D. Michaels, Esq. 
• Robert V. Magrino, Esq.  
• Kevin T. Mulhearn, Esq.  
• William J. Reddy, Esq.
• Patrick J. Loftus, Esq.

>> Go to Town Attorney Frequently Asked Questions.

Resources

• Freedom of Information Law
• Open Meetings Law

The Town Attorney is a Public Officer appointed by the Town Board of the Town of Orangetown for a two-year term.  Pursuant to Section 20 of the Town Law of the State of New York, the Town may appoint deputies in the Office of the Town Attorney and fix the salaries therefore. The terms of such deputies shall be indefinite and the appointees thereto shall be removed at the pleasure of the Town Board.

The Town Attorney acts as attorney for the Town Board and all of the town officers in their official capacity. It is the duty of the Town Attorney to advise all of the officers of the Town on legal matters relating to the duties of their offices.

PROFESSIONAL STAFF PROFILES

Teresa M. Kenny, Town Attorney

Years in Office & Term:  September 1996 to February 2004, Deputy Town Attorney; February 2004 to present, Town Attorney

Education:  St. John's University School of Law, J.D., 1990; Iona College, B.A., 1987; Clarkstown North High School, 1983

Organizations and Associations:  Rockland County Bar Association; Rockland County Woman's Bar Association; Rockland Road Runners

Admitted to Practice Before:  State of New York; State of New Jersey; United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

Additional Information: Private Practice, Nanuet, NY; Sept. 1990 - Aug. 1996, Staff Counsel, Consolidated Edison Co. of N.Y.

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John S. Edwards Esq., First Deputy Town Attorney

Years in Office:  February 10, 2004 to present

Education:  Union University, Albany Law School, J.D. 1978; State Universtiy, College at Oneonta, B.A. 1974; Bergen Catholic High School, 1970

Organizations and Associations:  New York State Bar Association; Rockland County Bar Association Board of Directors

Admitted to Practice Before:  State of New York, 1979; United States District Court-Eastern and Southern Districts, 1979; United States Court of Appeals, 2d Circuit; United States Supreme Court

Additional Information:  Partner, Tracy & Edwards, New City, NY 1989-Present; Village Attorney, Village of West Haverstraw, 1994-Present; Executive Assistant and Senior Assistant District Attorney, 1980 -1987

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Robert V. Magrino, Esq., Deputy Town Attorney

Years in Office:  March 1, 2004 to present

Education:  Siena College, B.S. Finance 1988, Pace University School of Law, J.D. 1992; Pearl River High School, 1984

Admitted to Practice Before:  State of New York; State of New Jersey; United States District Court for the Southern District of NY

Additional Information:  Private practice in New City, NY, 2002 - present; Law Office of Vincent Crisci, New York, NY, 2000-2002; Supervising and Senior Assistant District Attorney, Rockland County, 1993-2000

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 William J. Reddy, Esq., Deputy Town Attorney

Years in Office:  March 1, 2004 to present

Education:  Boston College Law School, J.D., 1996; State University at Albany, B.S. 1993; Nanuet High School, 1989

Organizations and Associations:  New York State Bar Association, Rockland County Bar Association New York State Associaton of Criminial Defense Lawyers

Admitted to Practice Before:  State of New York; State of New Jersey; United States Districk Court for the Southern District of NY

Additional Information:  Private Practice, New City, NY; Senior Assistant District Attorney, 1998-2002

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Barbara L. Gionta, Esq., Deputy Town Attorney

Years in Office:  June 5, 2007

Education:  Pace University, J.D., 1994; St. John's University, 1990

Organizations and Associations:  New York State Bar Association; Rockland County Bar Association; Rockland County Women's Bar Association

Admitted to Practice Before:  State of New York; State of New Jersey; United States District Court of New Jersey

Additional Information:  Private Practice, New City, NY; Former Rockland County Court Judge, 2006; Assistant Public Defender, 2000-2006;Senior Assistant District Attorney, Rockland County, 1995-1998;

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Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)

Please Note:  All FOIL requests must be submitted through the Town Clerk's Office.

The Freedom of Information Law provides rights of access to records reflective of governmental decisions and policies. A record is "any information kept, held, filed, produced or reproduced by . . . in any physical form whatsoever. . ." including tape recordings, microfilm and computer discs. All records are accessible, except records or portions of records that fall within the following nine categories of deniable records:
1. are specifically exempted from disclosure by state or federal statute;
2. would if disclosed result in an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
3. would if disclosed impair contract awards or collective bargaining negotiations;
4. are trade secrets or are submitted to an agency by a commercial enterprise or derived from information obtained from a commercial enterprise and which if disclosed would cause substantial injury to the competitive position of the subject enterprise;
5. are compiled for law enforcement purposes and which if disclosed would:
a.  interfere with law enforcement investigations or judicial proceedings;
b.  deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or impartial adjudication;
c.  identify a confidential source or disclose confidential information relative to a criminal investigation; or
d.  reveal criminal investigative techniques or procedures.
6. would if disclosed endanger the life or safety of any person;
7. are inter-agency or intra-agency communications, except to the extent that such materials consist of:
a.  statistical or factual tabulations or data;
b.  instructions to staff that affect the public;
c.  final agency policy or determinations; or
d.  external audits, including, but not limited to, audits performed by the comptroller and the federal government.
8. are examination questions or answers that are requested prior to the final administration of such questions; or
9. are computer access codes.

One of the exceptions to rights of access states that records may be withheld when disclosure would result in "an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy". Unless otherwise deniable, disclosure shall not be construed to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy when identifying details are deleted, when the person to whom a record pertains consents in writing to disclosure, or when upon presenting reasonable proof of identify, a person seeks access to records pertaining to him or her.

A denial of access must be in writing, stating the reason for the denial and advising you of your right to appeal.

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Open Meetings Law

The Open Meetings or "Sunshine" Law gives the public the right to attend meetings of public bodies, listen to the debates and watch the decisionmaking process in action.

A meeting is defined as "the official convening of a public body for the purpose of conducting public business". Since the law applies to official meetings, chance meetings or social gatherings are not covered by the law. Also, the law is silent with respect to public participation. Therefore, a public body may permit you to speak at open meetings, but is not required to do so. 

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